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Gillard a hit at community cabinet in Qld

Australians young and old were the focus of a federal community cabinet meeting with most of the locals asking the Gillard government for relief from the Queensland government's budget cuts.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and 15 cabinet ministers were warmly applauded at both ends of the 37th community cabinet meeting - and the eighth in Queensland - at the Hercules Road State School in Kippa-Ring, in northern Brisbane.

She fielded questions about school capital works funding, educations and training, and TAFE and nursing homes home closures.

But almost all were seeking assistance from the Newman government's cuts rather than challenging the federal government.

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Ms Gillard assured the crowd the federal government would do all it could to help.

"We are holding the Newman government to account," Ms Gillard said.

"We have a plan for the future of this country.

"Premier Newman's got to play his part."

Treasurer Wayne Swan joined in with the Newman-bashing, saying the closures of nursing homes was unacceptable.

"It's cruel and unjustified," he said.

"Right across the state, people are appalled by these decisions."

The crowd was impressed with the government's responses, regularly breaking into applause for the prime minister and her cabinet.

One woman, who is a school teacher, asked the prime minister to implement an anti-bullying program in parliament to make MPs "get on with being honorable members".

While Ms Gillard said she was all up for feisty debate in parliament because "nation-changing reforms are bitterly contested", personal attacks often confused people turning on their TV's at question time.